Hands free phone law — Massachusetts Permit Test
Hands free phone law on the Massachusetts permit test — 8 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
Using a hand-held mobile electronic device while driving is prohibited in Massachusetts.
The ban is on holding it at all, not on typing. A phone in the hand is a hand off the wheel and eyes off the road.
The use of hand-held mobile electronic devices (including cell phones) while driving is prohibited in Massachusetts
Drivers 18 and older may only use mobile electronic devices in hands-free mode while driving.
Hands-free means the device is mounted and left alone apart from one touch to start it. Holding it to check the screen is the offense.
Drivers 18 and older can only use mobile electronic devices in “hands-free” mode while driving.
Hand-held device use is only allowed if the vehicle is stationary and is not in a public travel lane, so it is not allowed at red lights or stop signs.
Stopped at a light is still in traffic. The exception is for a car that has left the road, not for one waiting in it.
Handheld device use is only allowed if the vehicle is stationary and is not located in a public travel lane. It is not allowed at red lights or stop signs.
A GPS device may be used if it is affixed in the vehicle for the purpose of providing navigation assistance.
Fixed in place, a navigation screen is not a hand-held device. Held in the palm, the same phone is.
GPS devices (including cell phones) can be used if the device is affixed, either temporarily or permanently, in the motor vehicle for the purpose of providing navigation assistance.
The fine for a first hand-held device offense is $100.
It climbs fast from there, and the third offense reaches the insurance. The first one is the cheap warning.
The penalties for using a hand-held mobile electronic device while driving are the following: • 1st offense - $100 fine
A second hand-held device offense brings a $250 fine and a mandatory distracted driving educational program.
The course is the state deciding a fine has not worked. It is mandatory, so the money is only part of the cost.
The penalties for using a hand-held mobile electronic device while driving are the following: • 1st offense - $100 fine • 2nd offense - $250 fine, plus mandatory completion of a distracted driving educational program
A third or later hand-held device offense brings a $500 fine, an insurance surcharge, and a mandatory distracted driving program.
The surcharge is the part that keeps costing after the fine is paid, because it rides on the premium for years.
3rd and subsequent offenses - $500 fine, plus insurance surcharge and mandatory completion of a distracted driving program Negligent Operation and Injury from Mobile (Cell) Phone Use It is a crime to injure a person or damage property because of negligent driving.
Crashing because you were using a mobile electronic device brings criminal charges and the loss of your license.
At that point it stops being a fine and becomes a charge. Injuring somebody through negligent driving is a crime.
If you crash because you were using a mobile electronic device, you will face criminal charges and lose your license.
On the test
What does Massachusetts law prohibit while driving?
Using a hand-held mobile electronic device. The ban is on holding it at all, not on typing. A phone in the hand is a hand off the wheel and eyes off the road. Massachusetts Driver's Manual, p.39: “The use of hand-held mobile electronic devices (including cell phones) while driving is prohibited in Massachusetts”
How this works
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against Massachusetts Driver's Manual, published by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-16.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/MA.pdf (Massachusetts Driver's Manual, Revised April 2026, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, retrieved 2026-09-14 from mass.gov)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/MA.pages.txt (pdftotext -layout over that PDF; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/SOURCES.json (sha256, folio offset 8, folioMarker, nonLawPages, signGalleryPages and the extraction flag, each with its measured basis)